The Los Angeles Lakers had a tough ending to what seemed like a promising postseason at first. A well-rested LeBron James, who was confident about a different outcome than last year’s sweep in the playoffs, had to deal with heartbreak and disappointment once again. And as if this wasn’t enough then Lakers legend Magic Johnson blaming the team for being eliminated due to load management may just have pushed just about everyone over the edge.
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The Los Angeles Lakers might have the most cutthroat fanbase there is in the NBA. Wearing that title as a badge of honor, even a former Lakers legend wasn’t safe as Magic Johnson went on to issue an apology over his previous remarks on X[Formerly Twitter].
“Laker Nation, I have to apologize to the Lakers organization. It was injuries that plagued the Lakers this season, not load management.”
Magic Johnson dumped the blame on injuries for the Lakers’ disappointing end to their 2023-24 NBA season. And while Magic may be trying to save face after outright blaming it on the coaching staff and subsequently, load management; injuries did play a big role in where LA ended up in the Western Conference.
As per StatMuse, players like Cam Reddish and Jarred Vanderbilt, two key rotational guys who were expected to take the load off of the team’s stars ended up spending a substantial time off the floor due to nagging injuries.
Reddish still ended up playing 48 games in total, out of which he started 26 of them But Jared Vanderbilt on the other hand was almost non-existent. Vando was only able to participate in 29 games where he was the starting forward in six of those matchups.
Gabe Vincent was another player that the Lakers front office had acquired last offseason. Vincent may have been the one that suffered the most as his injury only allowed him to play a total of 11 games out of an 82-game regular season.
Magic Johnson’s initial tweet that ended up causing a fiasco on social media, especially among Laker fans was right after the team had gotten eliminated at the hands of the Denver Nuggets once again.
“The Lakers have nobody but themselves to blame. They wouldn’t have been in the play-in game or finished as a 7th seed this season if they hadn’t lost too many games because of load management.”
Having rephrased this previous tweet with an apology, Magic Johnson might’ve missed a step here. For most of the 2023-24 NBA season, LeBron James and Anthony Davis were two of the most consistent players the team had this year.
James played a total of 71 games whereas Anthony Davis may have set a new career record with the most games played in a regular season with 76. While James did deal with ankle issues for most of the second half of the season, it did not limit him from suiting up almost every night to help the Purple & Gold.
Unfortunately, James’ efforts were in vain as the team was knocked out of the first round by the same team that swept them last year. So, how will the Lakers bounce back after back-to-back years of disappointment? That is for the offseason to reveal.
